Is Washington County, MS in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Washington County's flood hazard at the 81.2th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.9 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Washington County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Washington County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 21% of them do — 979 active policies against 4,658 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Washington County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 6.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Washington County ranks
Washington County sits at rank 618 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1169 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Washington County, Mississippi covers 724.147 square miles and counts roughly 41,181 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Washington County
1,236 of Washington County's 19,157 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Washington County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.